Chapter 455 - 6: The Word Spreads

Chapter 455: Chapter 6: The Word Spreads

Dumbledore seemed to believe the diary had been sent to Hogwarts under Tom Riddle’s direction. Even the Defence Against the Dark Arts position Yimi claimed she wanted was a post Tom had once come back to apply for after taking the name "Voldemort."

Of course, the job itself could hardly have been all he truly wanted. In any case, after Dumbledore rejected him, no professor had managed to remain in that position for a full year.

Yimi had been asked a few questions in an attempt to verify these matters, but because she knew practically nothing about this world, her answers jumped all over the place. She could not even explain clearly how she had appeared here, leaving the adults with the impression that she had lost those memories after being controlled.

As for why Voldemort’s plot had gone wrong right at the beginning, why he wanted Yimi to bring this diary to Hogwarts, and why he would target such a young little girl in the first place, those were questions for Dumbledore to ponder.

Yimi herself had been rather idle over the past two days. Even though Professor McGonagall liked her very much, she had not arranged for Yimi to enroll the way the humans Yimi had adopted in earlier worlds had enrolled her. The first problem was simply her age.

Ministry rules prohibited underage witches and wizards from using magic outside school before they came of age. Minors carried something called the Trace so the Ministry could detect violations. Of course, they did not bother too much with children as young as Yimi. Nobody could reasonably expect a seven- or eight-year-old to control their magic perfectly.

Yimi was a little unhappy about that. Failing to complete the previous world’s quest had already made her realize the importance of studying, even if one of her quests in this world actually required her to become a teacher.

Still, not having to attend classes had one advantage: she had plenty of time to investigate this world’s quests. The investigation was not going especially well, however. So far, she had only made a rough circuit of Hogwarts, and she had not found the room with the enormous snake from Tom’s memories.

"I’m never, talking to you again."

They were in the library. Yimi angrily raised a fist at Madam Pince, because the librarian had refused to let her take an English dictionary out of the library.

A few studious students in the library looked at her with displeasure, but many more openly stared at Yimi in curiosity, wondering how she had appeared here.

Madam Pince laughed in exasperation at the little brat. She grabbed Yimi by the collar and hauled her outside. "I don’t even know you. Why should I care whether you talk to me? And don’t think I didn’t see you using magic in the library last time! What does a child who still smells of milk need to borrow books for?"

She looked down on cats far too much.

Yimi left the library with a long face, stomping each step especially hard. But she was clearly not the only person in a mood today.

"Why did Gryffindor suddenly lose fifty points?!" A shout drowned out Yimi’s thoughts. It belonged to Ginny.

One of Ginny’s classmates rolled her eyes.

"Thank the youngest of your older brothers for that. Yesterday, he used his wand at the Quidditch practice pitch and gave Malfoy a concussion. It was pretty satisfying, though. I heard Malfoy called a second-year girl a ’Mudblood.’ I can’t really blame your brother. I’m Muggle-born too."

"What are you talking about? What did Ron do with his wand?" Ginny looked completely lost.

Yimi did not greet Ginny. Ginny did not recognize the kitty’s human form anyway.

She carried Gilderoy Lockhart’s books toward the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom.

In fact, Defence Against the Dark Arts was not the first class Yimi had visited. With nothing else to do over the last two days, she had wandered into McGonagall’s Transfiguration classroom, only for the scrupulously fair McGonagall to pick her up under the arms and carry her right back outside.

Hogwarts was divided into four Houses—Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Gryffindor—each named after one of the school’s four founders.

The Houses were clearly separated, but classes commonly combined two Houses from the same year. This Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson had Gryffindor and Slytherin sharing a classroom.

"Listen, Ron. I don’t feel anything wrong with it, but don’t you think this is strange? Wand materials are selected very strictly. How did they put a wand core inside that piece of rebar?" Hermione whispered to Ron with a serious expression.

"Wow. It’s rare for you to get distracted in this class and whisper to me." Ron replied gloomily. It was not because the test in front of him contained bizarre questions like "What birthday present does Professor Lockhart desire most?" He was upset because the new wand he liked so much had been temporarily confiscated for examination.

It was not confiscated because it had been the weapon used to club Malfoy from behind. Professor McGonagall had discovered during the previous Transfiguration lesson that Ron was using yesterday’s weapon as a wand.

Ron felt deeply wronged by this. He had not used a single spell to attack anyone, had he? His detention had not been shortened at all, and he heard Malfoy’s father was even coming to see the school.

Harry lowered his head and said, "I think Hermione has a point. Letting Professor McGonagall examine it can’t hurt. If it really is something valuable, why did it fall into your hands so easily? If that girl needed a wooden wand, why wouldn’t she sell the rebar that can cast spells and use the money to buy a new one?"

"How smart do you expect a little kid to be? Isn’t she Professor McGonagall’s kid? We all saw her go to McGonagall’s classroom." Ron muttered.

Hermione seemed a little uncomfortable with Ron’s attitude and stopped talking to him. It was not until sharp-eyed Hermione spotted Yimi sneaking into the back of the classroom that she nudged both boys to get their attention.

Naturally, Lockhart had an even clearer view from the front of the classroom. He neither pretended not to notice nor chased Yimi out. Instead, he called attention to her directly.

"Everyone, keep your attention where it belongs. That is simply a child below school age who became curious about Defence Against the Dark Arts after reading my books."

With that one sentence, he successfully made everyone pay attention to Yimi. Even the students who had not noticed her now knew she was there.

Lockhart looked at Yimi. "It seems Professor McGonagall is too busy to answer your questions at the moment. Of course, when it comes to this subject, asking me directly is the better choice. My dear, you may ask anything you like, though forgive me if I cannot be too specific. After all, I might accidentally tell your future schoolmates the answers to their examinations."

This time Harry, who had disliked him from the beginning, muttered under his breath, "It’s like he doesn’t know whispering exists."

Yimi actually froze for a moment when she heard that. She had planned to listen to the lesson first and invite him to form a team after class. After attending so many schools, even the kitty had learned a few rules.

Since the other person had spoken to her first, she did not stand on ceremony. "Do you know, where there’s a giant snake in the school?"

"A giant snake? Oh, my dear, you asked me that before. You know I only just arrived at Hogwarts to teach. But I don’t imagine there should be any snakes inside the school unless someone deliberately brought one in." Lockhart tried to recall a spell for conjuring snakes and discovered, to his surprise, that he could not remember one immediately.

"But I saw it. There’s a place here, where they keep a giant snake." Yimi was not very satisfied with his answer.

"Oh, my dear, if there were a snake, I hardly think I would fail to notice. I mean, if someone truly brought one inside, I would drive it out. That is my duty..." As he spoke, Lockhart saw Professor McGonagall enter the classroom.

Because Ron had told McGonagall that the strange wand came from Yimi, she had spent quite some time searching the school for her.

"We had a little chat. She likes this class very much," Lockhart said.

McGonagall ignored him. She walked over, took Yimi by the hand, and hurried toward the door. "I think you need to come with me first and explain yourself properly."

She had not heard what Yimi said at all. She merely wanted Yimi to explain where the rebar wand came from, but apparently someone else had other ideas.

The students below looked at one another.

And then the news that Hogwarts might be keeping a giant snake spread through the entire school.